Lancashire nursery funding lowest in country

Nursery schools in Lancashire receive the lowest level of government funding anywhere in the country, a committee of councillors has heard.
Lancashire nursery funding lowest in countryLancashire nursery funding lowest in country
Lancashire nursery funding lowest in country

All local authority-run nurseries – as well as private or voluntary operators – are handed £4.30 for every hour they have a child in their care, while some other parts of England get almost double that amount.

The authority’s head of school finance, Andrew Good, told the education scrutiny committee that the difference in the money provided by Whitehall could not be explained by cost variations across the country.

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And he added that Lancashire was usually “in the middle of the pack” for other education funding.

“We don’t know what factors they use in central government to allocate nursery funds – which is why we’re asking them to tell us,” Mr. Good said.

“I don’t doubt that they’re calculating it correctly, the question is whether the methodology is something we can influence.”

The original calculation put Lancashire below the legal minimum level, meaning it had to be topped up by government funding agencies.

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The meeting heard that private providers in the county felt that the level should actually be set at £6.10.

The money is also used to cover the cost of the free childcare entitlements for 3-4 year-olds.

Members were told that the county’s 24 maintained nurseries – which excludes those located in the standalone areas of Blackpool and Blackburn – were closely collaborating in an attempt to make the services they provide sustainable.

Eight of them have been brought “back from the brink” after experiencing financial difficulties and receiving assistance from County Hall.

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Helen Belbin, head of early years at Lancashire County Council, warned that it was “only worth having something if it’s of high quality”.

“The tight finances do set a considerable challenge for maintaining that high quality,” she added.

Government guidelines indicate that there should be a “presumption against closure” of maintained nurseries – although that does not mean that they will never be shut.